Of distractions and denials
by thirteenchrysanthemums
Summary: Because even girls can have fanclubs. - Slight RuHaru.


**HELLO MY PRECIOUS BABIES. HOW I HAVE MISSED YOU SO.**

 **I'm sorry I haven't updated ANYTHING in like FOREVER. I've been caught up with other things that I haven't had the time nor energy to sit down and write.**

 **Anyways, this fic is set a year after Slam Dunk's time frame. Sakuragi and his gang are in the beginning of their second year of highschool.**

* * *

It's been over a year since Rukawa joined Shohoku's basketball team and, naturally, he has wised up a bit. Very quickly he has learned that if he wants to join the NBA, let alone be Japan's best high-school basketballer, Rukawa must look beyond promoting his own individual glory and aim to secure the success of his team. That is what a true ace does, after all.

Having shifted his focus into becoming a team player, the brooding boy finds himself actually giving a damn about his teammates.

As they progress into their second month, he can't help noticing that his fellow basketballers, particularly the freshmen, are not as focused as they should be. Their drills are always done half-assed, and while they are physically present during practice matches, their minds are clearly elsewhere. Heck, they couldn't even go five minutes without needing to be told to focus.

And he knows _exactly_ what they're thinking about.

"Ohayoo! I brought some snacks and drinks!"

"Ohayoo Haruko-chaaaaan!"

That _damn_ assistant team manager.

Even when Sakuragi had that annoying crush on the younger Akagi last year, things were not as bad as they are now. Whenever the redhead unabashedly drooled over their captain's sister, all Rukawa had to do was simply throw in a couple of insults to get him back on the court.

With these new kids things are not as simple.

"Haruko-chan, do you need help with carrying the bottles?"

"Haruko-chan, let me carry that box for you!"

"Haruko-san you're so thoughtful! We're so lucky to have you."

Before Rukawa can blink, the girl is surrounded by three of their newbies, worshipping the very ground she stands on. So deep in their hormones are they, that they fail to notice the embarrassed smile she wears, nor how uncomfortable she is under all this attention.

The worst part of it all is that she makes no show of rejecting their advances, always graciously (annoyingly) accepting their efforts to help her in some way.

Meanwhile on the bench, a possessive aura envelops the senior members of the team. Haruko wormed her way into the hearts of Shohoku's players even before she became the assistant team manager. Whether it was because she's the supportive sister of their ex-captain, her unwavering devotion to their team, or simply due to her cheerful demeanor, the younger Akagi became the closest thing to a sister that many of the basketball players have ever had.

"If only those idiots ran that fast during training." Ryota grumbles, clearly inheriting Takenori's overprotective instincts along with his position as captain.

Rukawa hums in agreement.

"Haruko should just reject them, it saves us all the trouble of going through this _every_ training session." Mitsui chips in, glaring at the hormone-driven boys.

While Takenori and Kogure graduated from high school, the sharpshooter didn't pass his final exams, leaving him with little choice but to repeat his third year in Shohoku once more. Not that he's complaining.

"It's not her fault Senpai," Ayako is quick to defend her assistant. "Haruko-chan is too nice to reject anyone."

The senior members sigh collectively. Ayako is right, her protege has always been too sweet for her own good. She can't hurt a fly even if she tried. How can they tell her to be a bitch to the boys when it goes against every fibre of her being?

"STAY AWAY FROM HARUKO-SAN!" For once they are relieved to hear the redhead's booming voice. Haruko's fanboys cower in fear, scurrying back to the court with their tails between their legs.

"Ohayo Sakuragi-kun! How is training?"

"Hii Haruko-san! It's too easy for the tensai! Nyahahahaha!" Sakuragi barks his standard obnoxious laugh, scratching the back of his head. He may not be infatuated with her any longer (and you can thank Fujii for that), but he has yet to grow out of the habit of trying to impress her.

"Moron." Rukawa states, just loud enough for the redhead to hear.

The latter turns around yelling "You bloody kitsune!" as he marches back onto the court to resume training.

* * *

"Come on defense! Stay sharp!" Ayako yells from the sideline.

"Anything for you, Aya-chan." Ryota purrs.

The players are divided into two teams, with Mitsui, Sakuragi and the other senior members on one team, and Rukawa and Ryota on the other with the freshmen. Situated below the basket for their box-and-one, Rukawa places his weight on the balls of his feet, ready to lunge at the ball if necessary.

Yasuda dribbles the ball into their half, quickly passing to Mitsui before Ryota can creep in close enough to steal it. However, unbeknownst to Yasuda, this goes according to plan because the person closely marking Mitsui is one of their most solid defenders in the team. And the fact that Rukawa acknowledges the fresher's skills is not something to be taken lightly. Shinnichi Takada may be a new addition, but he is definitely reliable—

 _\- swish -_

"Good job Mitchiii!" Sakuragi cheers, high-fiving the sharpshooter. Rukawa stares at the boy who was meant to be marking Mitsui, only to find that Takada hasn't even been paying attention for the last minute.

Instead, the "reliable" freshman is standing stock-still, staring open-mouthed at their assistant team manager as she laughs at something Ayako says.

Before he can berate the lovesick fool himself, his teammate beats him to it.

"TAKADA YOU BASTARD." Ryota hollers, sprinting towards the boy and giving him a well-deserved smack on the head. Rukawa smirks, Ryota has proven to be a much more dedicated captain than he'd ever imagined.

"DON'T YOU DARE LOOK AT AYA-CHAN THAT WAY!"

* * *

 _\- beeeeep -_

"That's it for today!"

Most of the boys leave the court, dutifully placing the stray basketballs back in the rack. The others take this time to continue their pursuance of the younger Akagi.

Rukawa frowns, watching the redhead defend his best friend from those leering baboons. Even last year the moron didn't pester the girl as much as these new kids. At this rate these boys, despite their potential, will hardly be useful in a real match.

"You know," a husky voice disrupts his trail of thought. Mitsui stands beside him, nodding towards the very group of people Rukawa observes. "Sakuragi can't keep this up for the whole year."

"Tch. We shouldn't even need to bother ourselves with this."

They shouldn't, yet they are. Rukawa can almost guarantee that no other team within the district has to make an effort to ensure that their players aren't harassing their assistant team manager.

In all honesty, he fails to see what it is about Akagi Haruko that makes boys go weak in the knees. Sure she was attractive, in a cute sort of way, with her doe-eyed look and button nose and-

"Rukawa-kun?"

So caught up in his thoughts, he hasn't been aware of just how intently he's been glaring at the younger Akagi. He raises a brow, silently urging her to continue.

"You seemed out of it." Scarlet dusts her cheeks. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he takes note of the freckles decorating her nose.

She wrings her hands, peeking at him from under thick lashes. "Are you okay?"

A pinch of irritation works its way into his brow and he finds himself actively resisting the urge to lash out at her. He is _not_ okay! If anything, _nobody_ here is okay. Nobody here has been okay since she became the second manager!

How can she just stand there, looking like the poster-child of innocence, when she has single-handedly turned a third of Shohoku's basketball team into her own fan-club?!

Rukawa takes a deep breath, keeping his temper in check.

 _Inhale._

 _Exhale._

"We need to talk."

"About what?"

 _'How about the fact that you've been sidetracking everyone from training?'_

 _Deep breaths._

 _In._

 _Out._

"You're distracting them." He seethes between gritted teeth.

The ace refrains from outright snarling when she looks even more confused. Rukawa grows irritated; partially at her blatant ignorance, and partially at himself for having greedily drunk in the sight of her scrunched up nose and furrowed brows.

"Who's _them_?" She tilts her head.

"Who do you think?"

Haruko averts her stare upwards as she ponders over his question/sarcastic retort. She bites on her lower lip - a nasty habit of hers - completely unaware of the attention it garners from the towering male.

"Oh!" Rukawa snaps his gaze to her eyes. "You mean Takada-kun and his friends! How am I distracting them?"

He opens his mouth, then closes it again. Rukawa curses inwardly, how is he to explain that her presence is enough to revert these semi-decent basketball players into horny teenagers? Surely that would call for some excruciating, unbearable awkward tension.

"It's because you're too cute!" Mitsui shouts in the distance.

"Nani?" Cerulean eyes widen in surprise; her entire complexion glows a bright beet red.

A bead of sweat rolls down Rukawa's temple as he watches the younger Akagi burn with utter embarrassment, stammering incoherently. He winces at the resounding smack of her hands on her cheeks; a poor attempt to subdue her blush.

"But I'm not…there's no way… _me_?" Her voice grows quieter, the last part coming out in a whisper.

"Is it true, Rukawa-kun?"

He swallows uncomfortably, sinking under the weight of unblinking azure orbs. This was precisely the situation he was trying to avoid. Instead of mentally murdering Mitsui for putting him between a rock and a hard place, he forces himself to focus on how to respond. What can he say now? Denying it is out of the question - Rukawa is many things but not a liar - but telling the truth may make her even more flustered, heck it might even revert her back into a fangirl, and he really doesn't want to go through that phase ever again.

"It's true Haruko! Rukawa's just too much of a little bitch to say it!"

 _That piece of sh—_

"I see."

Rukawa massages his forehead with his thumb and index finger, sensing a headache approaching. There's no way out of this chaos now. To make matters worse, the ace is certain Mitsui planned this. Ever since last year's nationals, the sharpshooter has taken an unwarranted interest in his personal life, particularly wherever Haruko is involved.

He glimpses the older boy's shit-eating grin from the corner of his eye.

"I'm so sorry, I must have inconvenienced the team." Her eyes are glassy, lips trembling ever-so-slightly. "I can't believe I've been stopping you guys from training."

Rukawa pales, struck with a feeling rather similar to guilt. She may be annoying with the attention she garners, but everyone knows she has only ever had the best intentions for Shohoku. To tell her she's been negatively affecting the team is the equivalent to saying that her efforts have been counterproductive.

Rukawa wonders which is worse: Haruko in fangirl-mode or Haruko in tears.

Thankfully, he doesn't have to find out anytime soon.

"But don't worry Rukawa-kun, I'll handle it!"

He watches amazed as she blinks back her tears and replaces her guilt with a newfound resolve. She smiles, a dimple forming in her right cheek and nods, determination written across her soft features. The hard expression is so foreign for the usually gentle girl that for a brief moment, Rukawa cannot contain the flicker of surprise on his face.

Admittedly, he expects her to either break down into a weeping mess or stutter her way out of the conversation.

So when she stares him square in the face, doing neither of these things, he's at a loss for words.

"Haruko-chan!" Ayako yells, attracting her assistant's attention. Rukawa silently thanks whatever Kami there is up there. "I'm leaving now! You coming?"

"Haaaaii!" Haruko replies, fastening her sling bag over her shoulder. She gives the brooding boy a quick wave before following her mentor out of the gym and into the night.

"See you tomorrow!"

* * *

Training the next day goes smoothly.

Too smoothly.

The freshers are actually focusing on the training session and the basketball scrimmages proceed with far more intensity than anticipated. Tight defense, accurate shots, energetic movements - Rukawa can't ask for more. And while they are occasionally caught ogling their assistant manager, such instances are few and far between.

Sparring a glance at Haruko, Rukawa can't help but be impressed. She said she'd do something about it last night, but he never expected results _this_ immediate. What witchcraft did she use to whip these boys into shape?

"Alright, let's take a break." Ryota hollers. "Back on the court in 10."

Yet again Haruko is surrounded by a swarm of testosterone-fueled boys, as eager for her praise as a dog is for treats. But given how hard they have been working on the court just moments ago, the older boys can't find it in themselves to be too annoyed this time.

"Haruko-san! Did you see me guard Mitsui-senpai?"

"Haruko-san! You saw my three pointer right?"

"Haruko-chan did we do well today? Are you proud of us?"

She flashes a stunning smile at her fanboys who in turn bask in the warmth of her tender gaze. Then it clicks. They're willing to do just about anything for the younger Akagi. So it's only natural that she would be able to persuade them into giving the sport their all.

"I'm really glad you guys focused today! You don't know how much this means to me."

As the boys proclaim their undying devotion to her once more, Haruko sneaks a peek at their ace, only to find him already observing her. Their eyes meet and even though the quirk of her lips is slight, Rukawa has never seen her eyes gleam with such a radiant shade of blue. She flushes a deep crimson and for reasons he has yet to understand, he feels a strange heat reach his ears.

"…Haruko-san?"

She turns back to the doting crowd, the sparkle in those orbs subdued as she engages in polite conversation with the boys.

A sigh escapes Rukawa's lips. These morons never know when to quit.

Not that he can blame them.

* * *

 **Now this one isn't outwardly romantic. Honestly, I'm not sure what I'm trying to achieve with this one. I just wanted to post something so I can hopefully get back into writing.**

 **Hope you guys have had a great 2017 so far!**

 **Much love,**

 **Evie**

 **P.S. This has been edited now because there were way too many errors. Also, for some reason this site doesn't register whenever I bold my text so I'm very sorry about that!**


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